23 Book Reviewers to Reach Out To

You finally self-published your book. Congrats! Here’s your next move: landing as many book reviews as you can. But where to get reviews aside from friends and family? To help you get started, here’s a solid list of 24 book reviewers to reach out to today. I include favorites across a range of book genres.

Real quick, why book reviewers?

Collecting book reviews is the most effective action you can take as an indie author. People rarely make a purchase when there are zero reviews (that’s e-commerce 101). Especially in the book world, reviews drive sales. Just a handful of positive reviews can help convert visitors into sales.

Definitely ask your network to leave a review for your book. But after you’ve exhausted your personal contacts, go above and beyond. Boost your credibility and discoverability by attaining reviews from sources like influential book review blogs or professional book review sites listed below.

1. Amazon’s Top Reviewers

You most likely got your book listed on Amazon. If not, you should. Amazon captures more than half of the digital book market, being the mecca of self-published content. What better place to look for reviewers than on Amazon? Check out Amazon’s list of top reviewers in your genre.

The Creative Penn shares how the process can take some time: “You need to find books similar to your own and then drill down into the review, and then further into the reviewer's profile to see if their contact information or website address is available.”

2. Amazon Book Review Section

Amazon also has a book editors’ section that features hand-picked, non-sponsored content. Not all of Amazon’s book reviewers have their contact info available but click through their names to find the ones who do share their email or review site.

3. Other Amazon Book Reviewers

This is important to mention, so I’m making it its own entity. Take the time to browse Amazon’s book pages similar to yours. See who’s reviewed them and click on those reviewers’ profiles to see if they’re open for requests.

4. Goodreads

We know Goodreads, one of the most popular book review sites. If you haven’t yet, set up an author page on Goodreads. Then use the groups search box to find reviewers. Check the guidelines of each group before you post your request.

5. LibraryThing

LibraryThing is similar to Goodreads, where readers hang out to review and discuss various books. It’s like a social networking site, which you can use to find reviewers. Try offering your book with Member Giveaway, where members enter a drawing to win a book for free. Then kindly ask the winners who receive your work for a review.

6. Book Riot

Looking for professional book review sites? Consider Book Riot. It’s one of the largest independent editorial book sites. The team runs a variety of media, from podcasts to newsletters across numerous genres. All you have to do is shoot them an email. Here’s their review policy.

7. Kirkus Review

Kirkus Review is another professional site for some of the best reviews to land. Kirkus reviewers are credible, trusted voices in the publishing world. This one is paid. If you have the budget for it, purchasing a Kirkus review is a great way to increase clout.

8. IndieReader

IndieReader is a paid option as well, a tad cheaper than Kirkus Review. If your budget permits, it’s not a bad idea to pay for a guaranteed review by a more established name. You can paste the review on your editorial reviews section on Amazon, your author website, and even the back of your book. See IndieReader’s pricing.

9. BookPage

BookPage covers most genres, from literary fiction, to mystery, and biography. Its book recommendations are informative, periodically featuring author interviews. All you gotta do is send an email pitch with a digital review copy no later than four months before your book launch. See their guidelines.

10. The New York Review of Books

Imagine having your book shared with over 2.3M followers on Twitter. This is quite an ambitious one, but why not give it a go? Esquire described The New York Review of Books as “the premier literary-intellectual magazine in the English language.” Check the FAQ page (under “Editorial”) for the address to send your request.

11. The Kindle Book Review

The Kindle Book Review provides awards, shoutouts, and various resources for authors. And of course, the site specializes in giving reviews. Peruse its team of reviewers to ensure a proper fit for your book. Read how to make your request.

12. Maryse’s Book Blog

Book blogs are fantastic because they’re usually free. Plus, passionate readers run these blogs about books. In the gigantic romance genre, you don’t want to miss Maryse’s Book Blog. She covers romance stories of all subgenres, including contemporary, paranormal, urban fantasy, and more.

13. True Story Book Blog

Under romance, don’t miss out on True Story Book Blog either. Lisa reviews subgenres like contemporary, new adult, and paranormal. She’s also one of the best bloggers for adult erotica books. I mean, she’s got over 15K followers on Twitter. Lisa shares: “If it wasn’t for 50 Shades, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Is 50 Shades of Grey not one of the best erotica works to date?

14. Book Woman Joan

Got a spiritual book? For Christian book reviews, go to blog reviewer Book Woman Joan. She covers a variety of genres but has a large following, particularly for Christian works.

15. The YA Bookworm Blogger

How about YA books? The YA Bookworm Blogger reviews books classified as Young Adult Fiction and New Adult Fiction. Her favorite genres are romance, paranormal, contemporary, and dystopian. See her review policy.

16. Mom With a Reading Problem

For children’s books, reach out to Mom with a Reading Problem. She goes on a first come, first serve policy and aims for a turnaround of 30 days.

17. ChapterInMyLife

When it comes to blogger reviews for all things dark, contact ChapterInMyLife. Sharon is a fanatic of crime fiction, true crime, thrillers, mysteries, and more. She’s got a dedicated fanbase of 7K followers on Twitter.

18. Cat Pollock Writes

Cat Pollock Writes is the place to go for science fiction. Cat is an author herself. By the way, doing review swaps with other authors is a pretty cool way to not only gain reviews but get connected in your industry.

19. YouTuber With Cindy

Let’s talk about book reviewers on YouTube. To do that, I have to mention YouTuber With Cindy. She has over 484K subscribers, and she’s freaking awesome. If you’ve got the budget and want to go big, working with influential YouTubers like Cindy will get you massive exposure. Cindy is straightforward about pricing: “If you have a conservative budget, please be realistic before contacting and consider working with someone else.” Here’s her FAQ.

20. Smaller YouTube Channels

If you can’t afford the big names like Cindy, there are a ton of smaller YouTubers you can work with instead. For example, SparklesBooks got almost 6K subscribers reviewing mostly horror and paranormal content. I couldn’t find her email or review policy, but here’s her Instagram.

21. Bookstagrammers

Speaking of Instagram… Heard of bookstagrammers? Bookstagrammers are book reviewers on the social media platform Instagram. Check the hashtag #bookstagram on Instagram to discover your next reviewer.

22. Social Media

And speaking of Instagram, I have to mention social media as a whole. Just like on Instagram, you can search for reviewers who cover your genre on social channels like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Draft a polite request and send out those DMs.

23. ARC Team

I end this list with a note on building an ARC Team. ARC stands for advance review copy or advanced readers copy. In self-publishing, you take care of everything on your own. An ARC team’s sole purpose is to help you gain more reviews. If you have to outsource one area of your publishing gig, why not this? Learn more about building an ARC team.